Nearly 1,000 trekkers trapped after severe blizzard hits Mount Everest, rescue ops underway

A wicked snowstorm in the put on mount everest neighborhood in Tibet trapped nearly 1,000 trekkers on Sunday. Rescuers guided several trekkers to safety after they were stranded by a blizzard as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummeled the Himalayas.

As of Sunday, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact with the remaining 200-plus trekkers had been made, Reuters reported quoting Chinese state media.

Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams had been deployed to help remove snow blocking access to the area, where nearly 1,000 people had been trapped, according to an earlier report by state-backed Jimu News.

Visuals showed overcast skies as trekkers made way through knee-deep snow and strong winds, conditions which are unusual during October.

“It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk,” Reuters reported quoting a trekker who reached the Qudang township. He added that the weather this year is not normal and that his guide said that he had never encountered such an extreme weather in October.

“Back in the village, we had a meal and were finally warm,” the trekker added.

The remaining trekkers will arrive in Qudang in stages under the guidance and assistance of rescuers organised by the local government.

Heavy snowfall began on Friday evening and has intensified on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet, which is an area popular with climbers and hikers, reported news agency PTI.

The valley lies at an elevation averaging 4,200 metres (13,800 feet).

The CCTV report did not say if local guides and support staff of the trekking parties had been accounted for. It was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not, the Reuters report added.

The north face of the 8,849 metres high Mt Everest, also referred to as Mt Qomolangma in China, due to its easy access by paved road, regularly draws large numbers of tourists. October is a peak season at the world's highest mountain peak, when skies usually clear at the end of the Indian monsoon.

This year, the mountains, especially the remote valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern Kangshung face of Everest saw a slightly increased crowd of trekkers who took the advantage of an eight-day national day holiday in China, and engaged in the activity.

The incessant snowfall coincided with the heavy rain that lashed neighbouring Nepal and parts of India and triggered landslides and flash floods resulting in multiple deaths and injuring several others.

(With inputs from agencies)

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